Submit an Idea To Reinvent the Toilet

If you have an idea for a new, innovative, self-contained toilet, the Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene team of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (Seattle) wants to hear from you. The team has issued a request for letters of inquiry (LOIs) to participate in the next phase of the Reinvent the Toilet Challenge.

Accepted applicants will design a stand-alone, self-contained, practical sanitation module that takes in bodily wastes or fecal sludge collected from pit latrines and septic tanks and disposes of them quickly without incoming water pipes, outgoing sewer pipes, or electric or gas utility services, according to the foundation’s Request for LOIs. The systems must have minimal footprints, ensure biosafety, and have anticipated capital and operational costs for commercial units of less than $0.05 per user per day.

This third round of the Reinvent the Toilet Challenge is designed to develop an effective, cost-efficient way to handle human waste for those who lack access to safe and affordable sanitation, the request says.